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The differences between landscapers and landscape designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a landscaper, becoming a landscape designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a landscape designer has an average salary of $55,516, which is higher than the $28,952 average annual salary of a landscaper.
The top three skills for a landscaper include mowing, taking care and GRASS. The most important skills for a landscape designer are sketch, sketchup, and design development.
| Landscaper | Landscape Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $28,952 | $55,516 |
| Hourly rate | $13.92 | $26.69 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 11,147 | 49,449 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A landscaper is responsible for maintaining gardens, plant areas, and other outdoor facilities. Landscapers' duties include reviewing and adjusting landscape design based on the clients' specifications, analyzing garden layouts, measuring land areas and surfaces for the design outlines, installing irrigation systems, maintaining plant growth, and applying fertilizers regularly. Landscapers will also work on removing weeds, trimming overgrown plants, checking defects on landscape equipment, and coordinating with other outdoor design professionals. A landscaper should be knowledgeable about the recent landscaping trends to suggest designs and improve the landscape presentation.
A landscape designer is responsible for ensuring that the plan arrangement meets the client's best interests with the highest quality standards. Landscape designers must have strong attention to detail, outstanding communication skills, and excellent analytical skills to provide the best services as the client instructs. They should also be creative and knowledgeable about the trends in the market, analyze site conditions to suggest design options that would fit the client's preference. A landscape designer should also provide expense estimates for the client and construct the project efficiently within the budget goals.
Landscapers and landscape designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Landscaper | Landscape Designer | |
| Average salary | $28,952 | $55,516 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $36,000 | Between $41,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Rafael, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Princeton University | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a landscaper and a landscape designer in terms of educational background:
| Landscaper | Landscape Designer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Landscape Architecture |
| Most common college | - | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between landscapers' and landscape designers' demographics:
| Landscaper | Landscape Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 63.6% Female, 36.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 1.5% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 0.4% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 85.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 13% |